Del Kathryn Barton

By
A.J Edwards |

November 19, 2014

In recent years, the work of Del Kathryn Barton has captured the attention of the general public. Her inclusion in popular shows, as well as her Archibald Prize success, has elevated her work and given it a heightened level of interest.

This book, which is well-written by Queensland curator Julie Ewington, discusses the deeper motives and process behind the artist and reaches for an understanding of the underlying concerns that drive Barton’s work. The ways in which del Kathryn Barton evokes strange places of her inner worlds, and conjures the myriad forms of anthropoid and animal figures that inhabit her work, are all explored.

Ewington breaks up the text with three major essays that focus on different elements of Barton’s craft, drawings, and family life, posing questions about her motivation for these particular areas of inspiration.

This is the first major text devoted to Barton’s work, published by Piper Press, who continue to contribute to the arts with lavishly produced artist monographs. This is a serious book on the artist’s career, and well worth the time invested in it.